Friday, January 6, 2012

my love affair {with tofu}

Tofu? Yep. You read that right. My mouth (er, I mean typing fingers) really said I have a love affair with tofu. My sister was surprised when I told her on the phone the other night too. I heard something like, "Jess who ARE you?"

It all started a few months ago on a weekend trip to Portland. I had an amazing rice bowl from a food stand there and it had garlic-fried tofu in it. I.Loved.It. I was shocked. I have always thought of tofu as this weird, eery, rubbery substance that nobody really enjoyed. Until I ate it. And enjoyed it.

Then came my trip to Trader Joes to buy some tofu to cook with at home. I made a delicious dinner that we all enjoyed. My boys even ate the tofu. They didn't say they loved it, but they ate it!

I bought firm (you can also do extra firm) because I read that it holds it shape if you want to pan fry it. And that's what I did. I cut the tofu into squares and I put a little olive oil in a pan with some minced garlic and fried the tofu until the sides got brown and crisped.

Then I cooked some noodles. I used capellini because I wanted a thin noodle, but you could use spaghetti or a rice noodle, or anything you want. Then I made a peanut sauce using Yoshida's sauce mixed with peanut butter, but you could also use one of my favorite peanut sauce recipes, found HERE.

Then I mixed it all together and topped it with broccoli slaw, green onions, and cilantro. You could add anything you want and make it your own!

It was delish, and I will be making it again! Next on my list of tofu recipes to try is this...

A dairy free chocolate pie made with silken tofu! I can really get on board for that! This is an Alton Brown recipe and it packs some serious nutritional punch with all the protein!

Directions
Place enough water in the bottom of a4-quart saucepan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Place the chocolate chips and liqueur ina medium
metal mixing bowl, set over the simmering water, and stir with a rubber
or silicone spatula until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the
vanilla extract.
Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in a blender or food processorand spin until smooth (about 1 minute).
Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

Yum! So, tell me...what are your thoughts? Have you ever tried tofu? Do you like it or hate it? Maybe you want to try it again now that you have some recipes?

Squeeze as much water out as you can before frying it (I just use several paper towels, wrap it up and squeeze gently.) I usually salt & pepper a good bit it when it's frying on its first side. This recipe looks wonderful. I doubt my son will eat it but maybe he will be inspired when he sees us gobble it up!

One of my favorite dishes is a tofu one. Basically, saute some garlic and ginger (calls for 2 cloves and 1T I think) in oil until fragrant. Add 1 can of coconut milk (I use low-fat), 2T soy, and 1-2T Thai red curry paste (if you're not familiar with it, maybe use 3/4t, it IS spicy). Simmer until warm. Add 1 box of tofu cubed (I use firm and cut it into ~3/4" cubes) and whatever else you feel like (I usually used chopped tomatoes but Thai eggplant and string beans are good too.) Heat through and serve over rice.

I love tofu but it scares me. My oncologist--I'm a breast cancer survivor--told me to only eat it once in awhile--it metabolizes like a weak estrogen in the body and my cancer was estrogen dependent. Also, many experts voice concerns about males eating tofu. In Asian cultures they consume very small amounts weekly in spite of eating it daily compared to us here in the U.S. hence I eat a small amount once in a blue moon.

Yes, Natalia, I forgot to mention that about the liquid! Thanks...great tip for everyone. You should also note that if you don't use all of the tofu, you need to keep it in the fridge stored in water and change the water daily.

jengd, that sounds delish!! Thanks so much for sharing :)

Charity...ANYTIME! I am always game for a trip ;)

Dinahsoar, I agree. I think it should be used in moderation, as many other things in our diets should. Hooray for surviving breast cancer!

Excited to try this tofu recipe! Sounds like a great family dinner!! I made Alton's pie for New Year's Eve and it was delicious and a big hit! My very traditional meat and potatoes father even liked it!!

I use tofu all the time. That chocolate pie looks wonderful. I think I`ll make some (without the crust) for my Gram whose having problems eating... I need to come up with dairy free ideas that have a mashed or creamy texture.

I'll jump on the in moderation wagon, too. After watching Food, Inc. and doing a little of my own research I am really cautious of soy... And how we are consuming quite a bit in our diet without realizing It. But the recipe does look super tempting... Maybe I'll make it with chicken!

I had to laugh, because these are the two ways I'm most likely to use tofu too! The chocolate pie is my now my husband's birthday dessert, and I love to stir fry it with whatever veggies are on hand. If you press out some of the liquid from the firm tofu before cubing it, it soaks up marinade well and can be even MORE tasty!

my favorite tofu recipe and one that my very picky kids love is tofu "meatballs", no recipe, I just make them like a regular meatball: press the tofu (even extra firm) to get the water out crumble with egg, fresh bread crumbs, pureed onion and garlic,and italian spices, mush up with your hands and form into balls (they'll be soft) and pan fry. i always have to make twice as many as I think I'm gonna need because.....well you know....